


Strikhedonia

by rayeliann



Series: Hopeful Through the Storm [3]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M, Paparazzi, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Reveal, Secret Relationship, Strikhedonia, small allusion to Shepard's PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-04
Updated: 2015-03-04
Packaged: 2018-03-16 06:58:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3478715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rayeliann/pseuds/rayeliann
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Strikhedonia -The pleasure of being able to say “to hell with it”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Strikhedonia

Rys arrived late to lunch at the little cafe where she had agreed to meet Kaidan for lunch. A gaggle of reporters followed her, lagging behind by about two steps, all the while shouting excited questions and calling for her attention. They had been waiting for her when she had left Alliance Headquarters, and had followed her all the way across town, their enthusiasm never waning.  

Kaidan couldn't help but smile at the annoyed glance that Rys shot him. And yet, he felt a rising annoyance in his chest. Rys was a private person, and she had been hounded by the media ever since she had left the hospital. It was understandable that she wanted to keep the details of her personal life from becoming sensationalized in the news, but that meant keeping their relationship quiet as well. It wouldn't have been so hard- if the reporters had given them a moments rest. But the sneaking around and monitoring their body language in public had started to wear on them both.

“How did it go?” Kaiden asked, catching himself as he rose to greet her arrival, realized they were being watched, and shifted his weight between his feet awkwardly. Clearing his throat, he re-took his seat as Rys sat down. Her scars were healing nicely, but she sat gingerly, wincing a little. Rys looked tired, and Kaidan wondered absently if she had been sleeping, or if the dreams had started to come back. They had agreed to keep their own places until the reporters lost interest and moved on… but that was taking longer than either of them had expected, and Kaidan missed being there when she woke thrashing, in the grip of a nightmare. If he was completely honest, Kaidan had been having trouble sleeping without Rys too. He kept waking in the middle of the night to find himself trying to spoon the spare pillow. He missed her sharp, kicking feet that were always cold and the sweet, soapy smell of her hair. He missed the way she mumbled in her sleep. He even missed having to drag her out of bed on mornings that had come too early, enticing her with a steaming mug of coffee, just out of reach.

“Commander Shepard is officially retired. Full honors. There was even some talk of a statue on the new Citadel.” Rys chirruped brightly, flashing a toothy grin. She picked up her menu, looking intently at it, reading each selection carefully. Kaidan grinned. They both knew she would order the same thing she always got here. Cheeseburger and curly fries. The whole reason they had picked this restaurant as a lunch spot for nearly every day the last few weeks was because of Shepard’s infatuation with their curly fries.

“Congratulations!” Kaidan responded, smiling as he reached to touch her hand. Reporters circled like vultures, and he quickly withdrew the hand, looking sheepish.

 _“Major Alenko! Now that Commander Shepard is retired, will you be taking over her duties?” “Shepard, what’s next for you?” “Major Alenko! Will you keep your Spectre status?” “Commander Shepard, is there any truth to the rumor that you and the Major are involved?” “Major, anything to say about the rumors?” “Shepard, what about the rumors you are involved with Lieutenant Vega?” “Tell us about your Asari lover!” “Are you concealing the whereabouts of known Cerberus Operatives from your own government?_ ”

Questions were hurled at them, fired off by curious reporters in a cacophony of voices that almost mirrored white noise. Almost. Several news drones flashed bright lights, and Kaidan felt a pressure on his temples. He only had a few hours a day with Shepard, and now these journalists were going to ruin that by driving him right into a headache. Kaidan closed his eyes and drew a deep, sharp breath, his fingers kneading into his hairline as his very skull seemed to pulse with pressure. Across the table, Rys’s mouth pinched in an annoyed expression as she noticed Kaidan’s discomfort. There was a frustrated huff and some very colorful (and rather inventive) obscenities slipped out under hear breath as she tossed her cloth napkin onto the table.

“Rys…” Kaidan cautioned, recognizing the gleam in her gold eyes. It was the same sparkle that had preceded her hopping a barrier or launching herself across a hallway under heavy fire.

 _ **“To hell with it.”**_ Rys snarled, and was on her feet, her sparkling, newly-upgraded Paladin pistol (with a shiny new scope courtesy of Mr. Vega) in her hand. Normally people weren't permitted to carry weapons this close to the temporary Alliance Headquarters, but she was Commander Shepard.

As the small mob that surrounded their cafe table hushed all too suddenly (waving a gun at civilians will do that), Kaidan was already on his feet, his hands closing around Rys’s shaking weapon-hand.   

“Rys… It’s ok. They aren't going to hurt us. They're just reporters. You’re safe here.” Kaidan said softly, his voice rasping lowly. It was a familiar, gravelly rasp, and Rys found it one of the most comforting sounds in the world. His brown eyes caught her gold ones in a long look.  

“I just... I just want some peace and quiet.” Rys said, her eyes looking unusually big and watery, with very definite dark circles beneath them. She looked strangely sad, but holstered her weapon with an exasperated smile that looked forced, and wobbled dangerously. Kaidan’s hand smoothed her hair, cupping her head for a moment. He was about to pull her tight against his chest and wrap her in a warm hug… before he realized he was standing in a spotlight, and nearly a dozen drones were recording. He didn't mind what they thought (several publications had already speculated that he was hopelessly crushing on Shepard and spun incredibly over-the-top stories of Major Alenko's unrequited love), but he valued Rys's privacy, and would try to keep their relationship quiet for as long as he could. Kaidan withdrew quickly with an awkward cough, and a mumbled. “Er… Commander. I mean… Shepard.”

Rys looked confused for a moment by his actions, as he stepped back, careful to keep at least a foot of space between them.

“This is ridiculous.” Rys mumbled.

“You know what? You all want a story? Fine.” Rys declared loudly to her audience. She closed the distance between her and Kaidan, grabbing him with one arm around his waist, dragging him close, and popping up onto the balls of her feet to compensate for the vast difference in their heights.

Rys kissed him forcefully, originally intending to make a point, but forgetting that point (and their audience) entirely the second their lips touched. It was a kiss that had been brewing over the past few weeks, building as they had exchanged brushed, paranoid pecks on the cheek, mournful glances, and meaningful squeezes of clasped hands. It was fueled by the sweet release of a secret that had been held for too long.

When Rys finally released Kaidan, he was a little unsteady on his feet, blinking quickly, and clearing his throat as he tried to regain his composure. Rys whirled on the shocked reporters, a few of whom had already started shouting out questions about how long their affair had gone on, and how many military rules they had broken with it.

“I love this man. Spin that how ever you like.” Rys snapped defiantly in response.

Kaidan’s hand closed around hers, dragging her away from the crowd, away from the cafe ( they hadn't gotten a chance to order yet anyway), and back toward _their_ apartment.


End file.
